This morning's priority was to finally see, or hear, the continuing Hooded Warbler at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge...a quest which still remains unfulfilled ! Upon arrival at the refuge, I met fellow ELIAS members Sally Newbert & Suzi Stewart, who were leaving, after not seeing the warbler, but were fairly sure they had heard it ! Hoping to change my luck, I opted for Dune Rd., between the Post La. Bridge, Quogue, and Shinnicock Inlet, Hampton Bays, flying in the face of windy conditions.
Birds species and bird numbers were low, except for good numbers of both Snowy and Great Egrets. I spent much of the morning photographing the individuals displaying the highest amount of alternate plumage. In the case of Snowy Egret, the red lore of one bird seemed to have reached it's zenith...it was that spectacular ! I was even able to get a few photos of "side by side" Snowys, one sporting red lores, the other unchanged, with the yellow lores. Also, two of the Great Egrets were showing their green facial skin, which along with their longer plumes, signifies high breeding plumage. On my way home, I checked for C. Ravens at the H.Bays Water Tower, at first hearing their "croak", followed by seeing a single bird land somewhere on the back of the tower, nearest Ponquoge Ave. The bird was not carrying any nesting material, nor food, but this specie has bred here in years past. Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
